TCM Schedule for Friday, January 2, 2015 -- Friday Night Spotlight - Neil Simon

[Staph]

In prime time, TCM is beginning a month of Fridays spotlighting the wit and wisdom of Neil Simon. Enjoy!



6:00 AM -- We're Rich Again (1934)
A society couple gone broke tries to land a wealthy husband for their daughter.
Dir: William A. Seiter
Cast: Edna May Oliver, Billie Burke, Marion Nixon
BW-71 mins, CC,

The play opened in Hollywood, California, on 2 February 1934.


7:15 AM -- Big Hearted Herbert (1934)
A plumber's business success makes him neglect his family.
Dir: William Keighley
Cast: Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Patricia Ellis
BW-59 mins,

Remade in 1940 as Father Is a Prince.


8:21 AM -- MGM's March On In 1934-35 With Metro Goldwyn Mayer: Convention Of The Century (1934)
This documentary short presents a convention held by MGM that invited its company distributors to preview the films scheduled for the 1934-1935 exhibition season.
BW-8 mins,


8:30 AM -- The Winning Ticket (1935)
A barber tries to find the winning lottery ticket he hid from his moralistic wife.
Dir: Charles F. Riesner
Cast: Leo Carrillo, Louise Fazenda, Ted Healy
BW-69 mins,

Based on a story by Robert Pirosh and George Seaton.


9:45 AM -- The Irish In Us (1935)
The sons of an Irish family have to choose among police work, prize fighting and love.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Olivia de Havilland
BW-84 mins, CC,

Based on a story by Frank Orsatti.


11:15 AM -- Mama Steps Out (1937)
A dizzy society matron runs wild on the Riviera.
Dir: George B. Seitz
Cast: Guy Kibbee, Alice Brady, Betty Furness
BW-65 mins,

The original play, "Ada Beats the Drum," opened in New York on 8 May 1930, with Mary Boland and George Barbier in the roles of Ada and Leonard Cuppy.


12:30 PM -- Hideaway (1937)
A homeless family tries to take over an abandoned house, only to discover it's a gangsters' hideaway.
Dir: Richard Rosson
Cast: Fred Stone, Emma Dunn, Marjorie Lord
BW-58 mins,

The play, "A House in the Country," opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 11 January 1937 but had only 7 performances. The opening night cast included Leon Ames, Will Geer, Roy Gordon and Tom Powers.


1:30 PM -- Dad For A Day (1938)
In this short film, a service station owner falls in love with a widowed woman with a son who runs the lunch counter next door.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn
Cast: Ben Hall, Tom Herbert, Darwood Kaye
BW-11 mins,


1:45 PM -- The Beloved Brat (1938)
A compassionate teacher tries to reach a spoiled tomboy.
Dir: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Bonita Granville, Dolores Costello, Donald Crisp
BW-62 mins,

From an original story by Jean Negulesco.


3:00 PM -- Joy of Living (1938)
A Broadway musical star falls for an eccentric millionaire.
Dir: Tay Garnett
Cast: Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Alice Brady
BW-91 mins, CC,

Includes references to Donald Duck and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.


4:45 PM -- Penrod's Double Trouble (1938)
A missing boy's lookalike takes his place and raises havoc.
Dir: Lewis Seiler
Cast: Billy Mauch, Bobby Mauch, Dick Purcell
BW-61 mins,

The third of three films based on Booth Tarkington's charactor Penrod Schofield, starring Billy Mauch. His twin Bobby Mauch plays a neighbor who looks amazingly like Penrod!


5:52 PM -- A Vitaphone Pictorial Revue No. 2-10 (1938)
This short film contains three unique segments,such as how beavers help grow grass to wool manufacturing. Vitaphone Release B60.
BW-7 mins,


6:00 PM -- Daughters Courageous (1939)
A father returns to the family he left years earlier and tries to solve their problems.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: John Garfield, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn
BW-107 mins, CC,

Because John Garfield was playing a Mexican general in Juarez (1939) when the Epstein brothers were writing the screenplay to this movie, they made his character Hispanic as a joke.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: NEIL SIMON



8:00 PM -- The Odd Couple (1968)
A divorced neat freak moves in with his sloppy best friend.
Dir: Gene Saks
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Neil Simon, and Best Film Editing -- Frank Bracht

Walter Matthau, who played Oscar in both the original Broadway play and the movie, asked the play's author, Neil Simon, if he could play Felix instead. This was because Matthau thought Oscar's personality was too similar to his own and the role would be too easy; whereas playing the persnickety Felix would be a real acting challenge. Simon replied, "Walter, go and be an actor in somebody else's play. Please be Oscar in mine." Matthau finally agreed to it.


10:00 PM -- The Out-of-Towners (1970)
A man's New York job interview turns into a non-stop nightmare.
Dir: Arthur Hiller
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis, Milt Kamen
C-97 mins, CC,

Film debut of Paul Dooley. He had been Art Carney's understudy for the part of Felix Ungar in the original Broadway production of The Odd Couple (and he's an old friend of my late father!).


12:00 AM -- Come Blow Your Horn (1963)
A big city swinger teaches his sheltered brother how to become a chick magnet.
Dir: Bud Yorkin
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb, Molly Picon
C-112 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Sam Comer and James W. Payne

Lee J. Cobb was only four years older than Frank Sinatra. Cobb played Sinatra's father in this film. Sinatra was about twenty-five years older than Tony Bill. Bill played Sinatra's younger kid brother. Cobb was about thirteen years younger than Molly Picon. Picon and Cobb played a married couple.


2:00 AM -- Bells Are Ringing (1960)
An answering service operator gets mixed up in her clients' lives.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Fred Clark
C-126 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- André Previn

Judy Holliday's last film.


4:15 AM -- 4 For Texas (1963)
Double-crossing outlaws go straight and become rival saloon owners.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg
C-115 mins, CC,

The riverboat 'Sultana' shares the same name of an overloaded Mississippi riverboat side-wheeler that exploded and sunk on April 27, 1865 transporting Union troops returning from Confederate prison camps during the closing days of the Civil War.

[Journeyman]

1. Thank you, Staph . . .

My sincere appreciation to you and the others who put together these wonderful synopses of the daily offerings on TCM.

I always make a point to read through, and I can't remember the last time I didn't use your work to select at least a couple of movies each week to record.

I'm sure there are many others like myself, who utilize your assistance to enhance our viewing pleasure, but neglect to take the time to express our appreciation. On their behalf, and especially for myself, I wanted to let you know how welcome your effort is, and how indebted I remain for the help you provide.